By Cary Shuman
The Lynn Shore Major League Braves captured the Lynn City Series championship with an exciting 8-7 victory over the Wyoma Red Sox Monday night at Kiley Park.
Twelve-year-old Isaiah MacDonald nailed down the title with some clutch pitching after starting the game-winning, four-run rally with a single to centerfield in the fifth inning.
The Braves are the first repeat champion since the 2007 season, according to Lynn Little League historian and Braves coach Paul Hartford.
Yordy Contreras was a star in the City Series, striking out 29 batters in two victories for the Braves who were undefeated in the tournament for the second year in a row. Contreras, who hit five home runs during the regular season, added one more roundtripper in the City Series.
“Yordy was phenomenal,” said Hartford.
Contreras, whose favorite player is Nelson Cruz, thanked the coaches for their leadership. “The coaches are really good.”
Hartford credited the hard work of the players, manager Ryan Gendron and coach Mark Sullivan.
“The amount of time that Ryan and Mark spend every day with the players – the countless fly balls, groundballs, game situations – I look at the pitching staff and help out with everything else, but those guys and the kids never stopped working.”